Over 2K Killed as Massive Earthquake Rattles Morocco

Facts

• Over 2K people have been killed after a rare, powerful earthquake hit the north African country of Morocco on Friday night, according to Morocco's interior ministry.¹
• The ministry added that at least 1.4K have been injured — though these figures, along with the death toll, are expected to rise as the search for the missing continues.¹
• The US Geological Survey said the 6.8-magnitude earthquake's epicenter was southeast of Marrakesh in the High Atlas Mountain range. It reportedly had a depth of 11 miles.²
• Since 1900, nine earthquakes have been registered in Morocco with a magnitude higher than five, though none have been recorded with a magnitude higher than six.³
• As the earthquake was followed by a 4.9 aftershock 19 minutes later, the Moroccan government warned people not to go back into their homes.⁴
• Footage and photos shared on social media show a UNESCO World Heritage site and multiple residential buildings reduced into rubble.⁵

Sources: ¹BBC News (a), ²NBC, ³CNN, ⁴BBC News (b) and ⁵Independent.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The indian express. This is the worst crisis to hit Morocco in decades. Unlike regions that frequently face earthquakes of this magnitude, the country was unprepared for such a calamity. The global community must step up quickly to help the victims.
• Narrative B, as provided by Green matters. People don't usually associate earthquakes with climate change, but they are intimately connected as more extreme weather can stress fault lines. By addressing the climate crisis, this aggravating factor of the severity of quakes could be tempered in the future.